


I hope you have a White One (But for me it's Blue)

by mitochondrials



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), Marvel
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-16 07:39:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13049526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitochondrials/pseuds/mitochondrials
Summary: Tony's never really been a fan of the holidays, even now with Steve and the team. But that doesn't stop Steve from coercing him with cookies and ...Christmas trees?





	I hope you have a White One (But for me it's Blue)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fandomfrolics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomfrolics/gifts).



Steve woke Tony with a kiss just below his jaw. Tony had been slouching forward in his chair, his head resting on the workbench after pulling another all-nighter.

"Hey babe," Tony smiled, rubbing his eyes open. The first thing he noticed was the well-tailored fit of Steve's slacks. "You guys get back already?" The team, minus Tony, had all gone together to one of those Christmas markets to buy a tree and some new decorations for the tower. Steve had insisted, not impressed by Tony's previous plan to hire an interior decorator. It was a family tradition, Steve explained, and who was Tony to stop him? Tony had simply asked to be left out of it.

See, Christmas wasn't Tony's thing. In fact, it was amazing he wasn't giving into the urge to drown his thoughts with a bottle of Jack right about now (regardless of the fact he'd just woken up). The holidays were always a sort of solemn time for him. His father was never home, and on the rare occasion his mother was, she'd be plastering on her best media smile like he was stupid enough to fall for it. The only worthwhile memories he had were of Jarvis. Butler Jarvis, alongside his precious wife Ana, who'd take take him the kitchen for both Hanukkah and Christmas dinner almost every year till he was shipped off to boarding school.

Ana died not too long after, and Jarvis hadn't been the same since. That next year he and Jarvis started making a little memorial for her near the tree, lit with candles and dressed with Ana's favorite flowers. Then, when Tony was finally older and his mother could finally be around more (never his father, his father would never have the time), they had to go and get in a car crash just before his mother's big holiday gala, leaving him and Jarvis all alone. And finally ... finally, years later, Jarvis had died too.

It hurt to remember them, now that they were gone.

So, he'd wanted to avoid bringing everyone down with his mood by not going. He would have had just started a pissing contest after the crowds started making him cranky, especially with the constant bombardment of Christmas music apparently everyone else other than him enjoyed so much. But, God, did he hate it. _He hated it!_ Yet unfortunately, it was never a reasonable idea to just say fuck it, wear earplugs and fake a smile the whole time. Trust him, he's learned that one the hard way.

"It's already half-past four in the afternoon," Steve chuckled and ran a hand lovingly through Tony's grease-matted hair. "I brought you a few gifts."

"Did you now? For little old me?" He tried looking around, but Steve took hold of his chin, holding him still.

"I got you the last batch of Sam's cookies before anyone had realized looking."

"There's more of Sam's Mom's, cookies?" Tony said with a smile, making grabby-hands towards the box Steve magically had behind his back, placing them on the work table next to Tony's schematics. They smelled divine--and, oh! They just so happened to be gingerbread, one of Tony's favorites!

"I also brought you a tree," Steve said next, gesturing behind him near the lab's entrance. There was one small, fresh cut evergreen already propped in a stand. But there was also a small artificial white one, complete with lights sitting right next to the evergreen that Steve must have set up minutes before coming to wake him.

"Steve, darling. That's two trees. Two. Two whole baby trees," He held up two fingers. "Why--why did you get me two whole, baby trees, if you don't mind my asking?" He was perplexed, even while he was shoving a cookie into his mouth as he waited for Steve's reply. Which was better just divine, by the way. Perfect flavor and everything. Sam's mom made the best cookies on the planet.

Steve smiled softly, rocking back and forth on his feet almost nervously. "I assumed two trees might be necessary for what I've got planned." He was hesitating to finish, making Tony quirked a brow and motion him to please continue. "Uh, once Natasha and Clint are done arguing about where they'd like the tree to be, I requested we all decorate it together." He took a breath, "And, by we, I mean all of us. Including you." It was a statement, not a question. "So, I decided before-hand, I'd let you blow off some steam--whatever you wanted to do with your two new trees. Blow them up, maybe?"

That gave Tony pause, stopping himself mid-bite on his second cookie. This was unusual for Steve, mostly because Steve liked making his gifts; sketches and sometimes extra sappy things like giving him a full-on foot massage. "Huh," He blinked. "So you mean, you wasted money on me to go all evil scientist, but Christmas style?" Something deep inside him felt all snuggly and warm. The implicit demand of needing to attend hardly bothered him. He was kind of impressed, actually.

"I'd say to get some of your aggression out on, yes."

"This must really mean a lot to you to go through all the trouble."

"It'd mean a lot to me because I'd get to share the occasion with my best fella," Steve flushed. Tony liked it when Steve flushed. The pink glowed down from his ears to his toes, and it was all Tony's to admire. Rarely, Steve would also fidget with his fingers, but he would still stare Tony down with a defiant glare at the very same time like he was now.

"I love you," Tony said simply. He finished that second cookie and stood up, slowly working on stretching his muscles.

"I, I love you too." Steve flushed more, yet stayed fixed in his spot, staring at Tony.

"You're gonna be my evil assistant in the making. I decorate your big tree, you help me dismantle that white one over there and then help me attach a few of its branches, lights and all, to these parts I've been working on." He gestured at the schematics.

"That sounds like the worst idea I've heard all day," Steve said, but he was grinning, coming to meet Tony in an embrace. They were almost the same height, making it easy for Tony to slot their lips together and taste the lingering coffee on Steve's tongue. He ran his hands under Steve's blue dress shirt, trailing his fingertips over Steve's luscious abs, hinting towards his added stipulation if he was planning on doing what Steve demanded.

"Take off your pretty clothes so they don't get dirty," He breathed.

Steve ended up giggling, "Tony, you're covered in grime. My clothes are already dirty now from you touching me."

"That's even better."

"Tony." Steve was trying to sound stern.

Tony sighed, moving out of Steve's space. "Alright, alright. That's my other gift for later." He pointed. "But I still get to watch you bring my new toys in and enjoy the view."

"Oh, certainly Mr. Stark," Steve batted his eyelashes and flexed an arm, the ass.

Of course, once Tony had his hands on both of his said new toys, he opted to tear off a few of the evergreen's branches just to set them on fire with his torch, only to regret it after the whole lab was starting to smell. Yet it was still cathartic, releasing all that anger. All of his anguish and sorrow. By the second branch, however, he felt bad, remembering his mother and Ana--Ana's candles lit aflame each day of December till the New Year. Thus, he changed his mind and had Steve help make a couple of candle holders out of his scrapped armor parts and thought it was better to let the rest of the team have this tree to decorate too. (It could be the scapegoat tree that Hulk and Thor got to destroy later, because God, that was only a matter of time.)

"Thank you," Tony said when they were done, holding Steve's equally dirty hands in his. "Next time, how about we stay in and watch dumb holiday movies until I'm so bored we have to make hot chocolate instead?"

"If that's what you want," Steve answered, more than happy.

"Yeah, I kinda really do." Strangely, because he did.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays fandomfrolics! I hope you (and of course everyone else, too) enjoyed! I wasn't sure what I initially wanted to do for this at first, but I ended up loving this prompt so much! ... Even if I sort of left out the team giving Tony a hard time part, eheh ┐(‘～`；)┌
> 
> The title is a lyric from the song _Blue Christmas (To Whom It May Concern)_ by Miles Davis  & Bob Dorough. 
> 
> Thanks to QueenWuppy for beta'ing!


End file.
